I'm Still Alive!

I have survived the first couple of weeks at site, which I've heard is the roughest part. My house is still pretty empty. I'm been living off of oatmeal and spponfuls of peanut butter. I got a table and four chairs but the children quickly broke one leg of the table so I'm back to square one now. They're pretty much in my house all day everyday, playing cards, drawing, or making fun of me for not understanding a word they're saying. I hope I get to the point one day when someone talks to me and I don't have a dumb confused look on my face. But I rarely get to speak English anymore, so I'm sure I'll get there sooner than later.
On Monday, my VEO, Dickson, and the Village Chairman, Kilian, took me on a tour of the village schools. We started at the nursery, which was basically like a kindergarden. I walk through the gates and a swarm of short little bodies wearing bright green and yellow dresses and shorts swarm me. They are screaming and laughing and chanting "shikamoo!" at me. They are literally slapping each other in the face to get a chance to hold my hand. They were so cute. I decided that if I'm ever having a bad day, I just need to go to the nursery for a bit. Then we walked over to the primary school, which is right in front of my house. The kids there wear the same uniform as the ones in Kilulu, white blouses with blue shorts and skirts. Kilian and Dickson took me into the Mwalimu Mkuu, or Principal's, office to meet him and talk a bit. His name is Mwalimu Mawilo. After talking a bit, he went outside and I hear the stampede of kids beginning to line up outside the building, and I know what's coming. I can't see him, but I can hear him saying something to the mob of students in a very stern voice. He returns to the office and motions to me to come. I walk outside and the whole school of students are lined up waiting for me to introduce myself. Mwalimu Mawilo says, "Ongea, karibu!" In unison, the students all greet me with a "Good Morning!" I proceed to introduce myself once again in Swahili and tell them why I'm there. I did see some familiar faces of kids I had gotten to know around the village already, and I definitely already have a group that comes to my house daily. After the Mwalimu Mkuu says a few more words the students disperse and we say goodbye. We start the long walk to the secondary school next. These kids are around 14 to 18 years old. I meet Mwalimu Sarah, the Mwalimu Mkuu for the secondary school. She can speak more English than anyone I had met thus far, so I took the opportunity to ask as many questions as I could think of. Then, she took me to each classroom, and I gave each class my introduction shpeel. I also told them that I'd be around for the next 2 years and if they have questions about America...karibu! After hearing this, many of them literally jumped out of their seats, raised their hands and begged me to answer them. Mwalimu Sarah sternly told them to "Sit Down!" and that I would be able to answer all of their questions later.
After seeing the schools, I also got a chance to visit the hospital and village health clinic. There are two nurses and one doctor for the hospital. The health clinic is mostly used for vaccinations and pregnant mothers. I returned to the clinic one day this week to visit, and happened to come just in time to witness a woman give birth. The baby was 3.5 kilograms. I didn't watch the actual birth, but the nurses called me to come into the room soon after. They asked me to think of a name for the baby, and I just laughed. I told the new Mama hongera. She looked pretty tired. No meds for her. She just had to sit and wait for him to come out! I also talked with the nurse there about the patients that come in. She said they do have HIV/AIDS counselling for new mothers, but I don't know yet how much information they actually get.
After my day of meeting all the village schools, and birthing babies, I still had my village meeting with the wazee, or the village elders. We head over to the village office, and I take a seat at the front of the room with Dickson and Kilian. The elders slowly make their way into the room and we begin the meeting. Kilian starts the meeting and proceeds to talk a bit about me. Then, we go around the room, and each man stands up, introduces himself, and welcomes me. One man stood up and took a few steps towards me. He began to speak very quickly and muddled, but he did raise his voice, and he was gesturing with his hands. I was sitting in my seat with a look of fear in my eyes. I had no idea what he was saying to me, but I did know that he was talking to me and that he sounded angry. Later I come to find out that he was simply welcoming me to Nanjota and that all of the wazee are very happy to have me as part of the community. Dickson and Kilian laughed at me when I told them that I was a bit afraid of him.....it was a long day, and I slept well that night....except for the fact that I have a new bedtime friend. I'm sitting in the darkness underneath my mosquito net. I roll over and wake up to a high pitched squeaking noise. Dare I turn on my light to find the source of this mysterious noise?...Oh yes, I dare. I turn on my light and take a look around. In the right corner of the ceiling at the foot of my bed there is a bat hanging upside down. His beady little eyes reflect off the light of my flashlight. He begins to spread his nasty little wings. I quickly turn off my light and begin to play dead. Maybe he didn't see me. Oh well, I woke up alive the next morning so no harm done. I'm thinking of naming him, but haven't decided on a name yet....maybe Fredrick.
Over the next few days, I tried to get out of the house as much as I could. I visited the school again, I've been playing with the kids. I've been cooking with my neighbors, sitting at the duka (shop) or Nanjota chai bucks and trying to talk with people. I can't really go anywhere or do anything without people knowing. But everyone knows my name and yells "Kamerooni!" at me whenever I walk by, demanding that I come and talk for a while. He takes me quite a while to get anywhere.
I think I've had about 5 marriage proposals thus far. I was sitting outside of my house one afternoon playing with the kids. An older man with one bad eye walks up to me and puts out his hand.
He says, "Hello Mr. Kamerooni."
"Um...hello."
"How are you? Are you ok?"
"Nzuri sana. Na wewe?"
"No! No Swahili. I want to speak English to you."
".....ok."
"I want to marry you."
I laugh...."why?"
"I want to marry you. You will be my wife....because you are a daughter, and I am a son...his and hers....We will get married."
"....no we won't. I don't want to get married right now."
"Not right now? You say no today. I will come tomorrow..you will say yes."
"....ok whatever...kesho!"

I also get a lot of people asking me for money. One man has greeted me a couple times in the morning telling me that he needs me to give him money so that he can buy a machine to harvest his cashews. I have to explain to a lot of people that I'm a volunteer and that I didn't come to Nanjota to hand out money. Luckily my VEO lives next door, and we have dubbed him my bodyguard. He's usually around to alleviate the situation.
Yesterday, I went to a meeting for a group of women who are infected with AIDS. It was small, and I'm sure there are many more people in the village who are infected, but are ashamed to be open about their status. A couple of the women had babies, and they don't know their status yet. I couldn't understand a lot of what was being said during the meeting, but my WEO was able to explain it to me later. They are trying to open up a bank account for the group and start up some kind of business to generate income for themselves. They don't have much money because either their husbands have passed away, or they're too sick to work, or various other reasons. Many of them are farmers. They were all very welcoming, and I could definitely see myself becoming very involved with this group in some way.
Since then, I've just been trying to study more Swahili, talking with people as much as I can, cooking, and getting my water, which is quite a task. Water conservation has taken on a new meaning for me. I got to come into town again this weekend to see the other volunteers and to buy a bicycle. I was waiting at the end of the barabara, or road, to catch the daladala to get here this morning when a man in a long black trench coat and a bright orange beanie runs up to me from across the road. He has a camera around his neck that looks like its about 20 years old and he tells me that him and his friends want to take a picture with me. I say ok, and he begins to take my picture while various people are jumping into the frame and posing with me. It was such a bizarre moment for me. It was my first experience with the paparazzi of Tanzania.
While these guys all wanted to take a picture with me, or marry me, when it comes to younger children or babies, they seem to be deathly afraid. I was walking to the watering hole the other day with a couple of friends, and we walked by this house with three small children lined up outside. All at once they shouted "Shikamoo Mzungu!" at me. So I laughed and ran up to them and said "Nipe tano!" and held out my hand for a high five. They instantly broke out in tears and ran away....oops. I guess I'm really scary.
Apart from the frightenend children, I've made a lot of friends, and Nanjota is starting to feel more and more like a home everyday. I love the people, and am trying desperately to learn the language more. As far as the work I'll be doing, I'm really excited and can already see opportunities where I could help. It will definitely be challenging and I have a long way to go, but if my homestay Mama were here she would just tell me "Pole pole Kamerooni".....take your time, you'll get there.